


Kindred, A Final Fantasy XIV Story

by frlmng



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Au'ra - Freeform, Miqo'te, Other, ffxiv - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-01
Updated: 2017-02-01
Packaged: 2018-09-21 10:14:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9543284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frlmng/pseuds/frlmng
Summary: After months of training with the Sultansworn, Ilyan is granted the title of "Free Paladin" and allowed to roam Eorzea in pursuit of justice, to protect the innocent.  Unknown to Ilyan, dark forces from his past have begun moving in earnest, setting plans in motion that will test his faith in those he considers his family.





	

The light sea breeze was a refreshing break from the sun. The Auri child thanked the gods for it as she hurried down the beach. Her eyes scanned the sands and rocky outcrops that dotted the area, the white glow of the limbal rings around her eyes contrasted against their dark blue color.

“Where did you go?” she muttered to herself as if asking aloud might help her find her lost family heirloom. The Auri child brushed a stray blue and white strand of hair away from her face, tucking it behind her black, forward-swept horns. She glanced back to see how much ground she had covered, noting the rocky outcrops that dotted the shore and how high the cliff face now towered over her. Her village seemed distant, but the rooftops were still in sight. On any other occasion, this would have been the perfect day. Sunny, with a light breeze, only a few clouds in the sky, and the calming sound of the ocean were all she wanted. Even the usually bustling seaside village was restful today. Moored in the harbor were most of the village's fishing boats, and the usual sound of blacksmith hammers and smoke rising from the village forge was silent.

"Perfect," she thought, at least it would be if she could find the necklace she had lost.

She couldn’t help but imagine the verbal scolding she would get for losing such a precious piece of jewelry. She swore to herself she would never disobey her mother again as long as the gods helped her find the heirloom before her mother noticed.

She continued down the beach, retracing steps from earlier in the day that had long since been erased by the waves. She came upon a familiar rocky outcrop, deciding to climb it to get a better view of the area. A rocky area dotted with small pools of water drew her attention as a sparkle of light from one of the pools caught her eye. She slipped down the rock and rushed over.

“Ahah!” The girl’s expression lit up. She reached down, into the shallow pool of water and pulled out a dark blue sapphire pendant attached to a gold chain. The gem seemed to shimmer as she held it. Exhausted from the hike down the beach, she decided to rest near the pool, taking a moment to admire the pendant. In the sunlight, the gem’s color matched that of her hair, making it one of her favorite pieces of jewelry in her mother’s small collection. A flock of seagulls took flight from the cliffs above her, shaking her from her thoughts, followed by the familiar sound of a horn in the distance.

Now?!

The girl tucked the necklace into a belt satchel and took off running back toward the village. She had to return soon. They were coming.

As she ran down the beach, she heard the familiar, unnatural mechanical humming approaching from behind. In a panic, she dove into some nearby bushes as, overhead, an Imperial transport ship appeared from behind the cliff face. The ship seemed to be hugging the ground, causing rocks and dirt to rain down around the girl. The airship dipped over the beach, the swirl of sand caught in its wake quickly replaced by water as it turned sharply toward the village. By the time the dust and debris had settled, the ship had disappeared behind the village, landing on the far, inland side. A sense of urgency, bordering on panic, filled the girl and she broke into a full sprint down the beach toward the village. Despite being clad in armor, the Imperials were quick with their work. While the parents of the village usually hid their children from them, the girl knew she wouldn’t make it back to her house in time to hide properly. It was too close to the landing area and would be one of the first to be searched.

As she strode up to the docks, she paused a moment to catch her breath. The area already seemed abandoned despite the fishing boats tied up nearby. Piles of fishing nets were left untouched while others looked to only be halfway hung up on lines to dry. 

Everything felt frozen in time.

After a few moments, she heard voices from the village center. She pressed herself up against the side of a small storage shack and peeked up the path toward the village. The village square was usually visible from where she was, but two Imperial soldiers clad in armor stood in the way, blocking her view. Distracted by the spectacle in the village center, their backs were turned to her.

She decided to make for one of the boats.

Quietly, she made her way from boat to boat, trying to find a good hiding place. Before long, the sound of heavy metal footsteps and strange voices caused her to panic. She climbed into the nearest boat where she found an empty, covered basket. As she removed the cover to the basket, the intense smell of rotten fish assaulted her senses, a kind of chum the fishermen used on their trips. While the basket was empty, the smell was still strong enough to cause her to choke. The sound of footsteps approaching erased any reservations she had. She climbed in, pulling the basket lid over her.

It took every ounce of willpower she had not to throw up.

These visits were usually quick. The Imperials came, collected their tribute, and left. At the most, she figured it would be an hour, and it was far better than being found and taken from her home and family, as the Imperials sometimes would do to set an “example.” She had lost a lot of friends that way, and nobody knew what happened to them. It was exactly that kind of thing that drove her sister to join the resistance movement. A sister she hadn’t heard from since.

The Imperial soldier's voices came closer. The Auri girl slipped a hand into her satchel and took comfort knowing the gem was there. There was a snapping noise as the boat started rocking. It bumped into the dock, causing the basket to slide around. She shifted her weight to make sure it didn’t fall over. Finally, what felt like a kick to the small boat caused it to bob in the water as it began drifting away.

“A couple more and we should be done. What do you think will happen?” A younger voice asked.

“After what they did to the commander? What do ye think?” A gruff voice replied.

“We sinkin’ their boats? Is that why we’re cuttin' em all loose?” The younger voice again.

The annoyance in the gruff voice’s reply was apparent, “The vice wants to teach 'em a lesson. Now do yer bleedin’ job before the Vice has both our heads.”

The voices moved on.

She heard nothing but the sound of the water lapping the sides of the boat. Some time had passed before the boat bumped into something else, but the girl was too frightened to peek out. Instead, she decided to wait for the horn to sound a second time to mark the Imperial’s departure. In the distance, she heard the familiar sound of mechanical humming. She let out a sigh of relief, thinking the worst was over, she lifted the top of the basket to peek out. The boat had floated more than a few yalms away from the shore, but hovering over the village was the Imperial transport ship.

Her relief turned to panic as the transport ship turned toward her.

She dropped the lid and hugged her knees to her chest, hoping the ship hadn’t spotted her. The hum grew louder as she heard the airship approach her. In an instant, the boat tilted as the exhaust from the engines churned the waters around the boat. The basket flew across the bow and the girl along with it. She grabbed the nearest plank she could and held on for her life as, above her, the airship hovered in place. The engines pivoted away as the airship seemed to drift in the air.

Once the boat had steadied, the girl looked up over the edge and saw the airship using the exhaust from its engines to push the other loosed boats further from the shore. Her attention turned to the docks where it looked as if the entire village had gathered. From what she could see, Imperial archers stood around the group of villagers, while off to the side, a Miqo'te dressed differently from the rest of the Imperials, was speaking to the village elder.

As the two conversed, the Miqo'te’s tail would twitch, as if she were annoyed. In her hand was a sword similar to the ones her village was famous for making. She drove the sword into the dock so hard it stood on its own as she pointed aggressively toward the elder Xaela. A simple shake of his head caused the Miqo'te to draw her gun and level it at the elder’s head.

“No no no...” the girl pleaded. She could only watch as the Miqo'te fired a single shot into the elder’s head.

As he collapsed to the ground, the crowd of villagers cried out and screamed. Some tried to rush to the Elder’s side but were knocked to the ground by spear-wielding Imperials as others were held at sword-point.

They were helpless.

There was a loud beep from the airship as it hovered in the air between the boats and the dock before a voice broadcasted from it.

“I don’t know why you’d want to help him, what happens next is on his shoulders...and that of your precious resistance.” The Miqo'te Imperial spit the word ‘resistance.' “Now I understand some of you may be innocent, and I’m not entirely heartless, so I’ll give you a way out.” She gestured toward the boats which caused the girl to duck down behind the edge, in an attempt to hide. “If you can swim out and make it into one of those boats, I’ll let you live.”

The villagers didn’t move. 

The Miqo'te looked annoyed and motioned to a couple of the spearmen who had stopped some of the villagers from helping the elder. They nodded before running a couple of Auri villagers through with their spears. Panic washed over the group. Some jumped into the water, others were pushed, and those who remained fell where they were to spear and sword.

The Miqo'te grinned as she watched the villagers struggle in the water. She raised her hand in the air and lines of Imperial archers took positions at the water’s edge. The moment she dropped her hand to her side, the arrows flew.  Her family and friends were slaughtered as the girl watched helplessly. The waters around the dock turned red with blood.

She was horrified, but she couldn’t turn away.

“And what do we have here?” The Miqo'te’s voice boomed over the speakers from the airship. There was a mechanical whirr as the guns trained on the girl in the small boat. “You’re barely even wet... did you cheat?”

A mixture of grief and terror froze the girl in place.

“Tsk.” The Miqo'te shook her head from the dock. “I’m a woman of my word, though, and someone needs to tell the story to the other Xaela tribes.” The Miqo'te paused for a moment, “That is if you’re rescued. The sea can be quite unforgiving. But just in case...”

The Miqo'te motioned toward the village. The Imperial soldiers saluted in unison before disappearing behind the huts and buildings. Flames began shooting up from the village buildings. The Miqo'te pulled the sword from the docks, turning to face the girl. “We tried to give you peace. That died with my husband and son. This blood is on your hands.”

The airship’s engines cycled up and the ship disappeared behind the smoke rising from the village. The exhaust once more tipping the boat violently. The pendant slipped from the girl’s satchel, falling to the bottom of the boat. She scrambled, catching it before it could be flung out into the sea amidst the turbulence. Once the boat settled, she laid down, tears flowing from her eyes while clutching the pendant close to her chest, all she wanted to do was disappear along with the rest of her family and friends.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you SO much for taking the time to read this. It's been in the works for a while and it feels good to finally lay the groundwork for this particular story.
> 
> I'm aiming to have Chapter One completed by March 1st, subsequent chapters completed monthly afterward! Along with Chapter One, I'll have a super special announcement. Please look forward to it!


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